With a lot of legumes tis true tho one would assume as a farmer you would want to maximise yield ! and the honeybee you can manage and target pollination
Hosting Honey bees on your Farm
- Thread starter Kevh
- Start date
With a lot of legumes tis true tho one would assume as a farmer you would want to maximise yield ! and the honeybee you can manage and target pollination
renewablejohn
Member
- Location
- lancs
Anyone used flow hives. Just thinking it would be the ideal solution for the wild hives getting a flow of honey without having to disturb them.
Kevh
Member
- Location
- Near Salisbury, Wiltshire
This thread seems to have lost its original purpose of matching farmers interested in having Beefarmers bees on their farms with Beefarmers in their locality, we are all friendly people just trying to work together
Pieces_of_Eight
Member
Kevh
Member
- Location
- Near Salisbury, Wiltshire
Rents and pollination are really a separate thread as rent for permanent sites is usually a deal negotiated between the Beefarmer and the Farmer on a one to one basis.Depending on where you are in the country and the particular crop, we have Beefarmers that derive all or the majority of their earnings from paid pollination and it has been like this for many years similar to America but obviously not on the scale it is over there
Billhook
Member
Just been thinking about this subject and came across this thread.
I have just ploughed up 10 acres of grassland which has been organic for 10 years. It is on a South facing slope of the Lincolnshire Wolds, too steep to do arable sensibly but not so steep that it cannot be drilled.
I ploughed it only because I was worried about the EU 15 year rule meaning that is if it was down for another five years I would never be allowed to plough it.
I was thinking of returning it to pasture but then I thought it would be a good idea to sow a wildflower mix
(advice on the mix needed) to encourage the poor old bees.
It is in an arable area so there is plenty of rape about but I will keep the 10 acres organic but not registered.
It is right beneath my house with no footpaths so I can monitor it easily. Only a minor road going by to the village with little traffic.
So good site and more perhaps twilightened farmer!
PM me
- Location
- East Essexshire
Bees love Lucerne flowers, especially late in the season.
Kevh
Member
- Location
- Near Salisbury, Wiltshire
Do you have managed colonies on your farm no Bovrill?
- Location
- East Essexshire
They've been unmanaged for the last couple of years, which is why I'm taking them over from now.
Kevh
Member
- Location
- Near Salisbury, Wiltshire
Are you an experienced beekeeper, is it many colonies
- Location
- East Essexshire
Between my nephew and I, we're taking on 7 hives, with no experience!
The two at mine are pretty much empty, but the five at my brother in law's have strong colonies, and come with a retiring beekeeper with vast experience, who I'll be picking up as often as possible to bring over to teach us what to do! (he's just lost his driving licence through ill health).
Next Monday is the last part of the BBKA theory course we've been going to for the last month.
('No experience' is probably an exaggeration, I've always taken an interest, and helped whenever I can with the bees here, and in an orchard I used to do a lot of work at.)
The two at mine are pretty much empty, but the five at my brother in law's have strong colonies, and come with a retiring beekeeper with vast experience, who I'll be picking up as often as possible to bring over to teach us what to do! (he's just lost his driving licence through ill health).
Next Monday is the last part of the BBKA theory course we've been going to for the last month.
('No experience' is probably an exaggeration, I've always taken an interest, and helped whenever I can with the bees here, and in an orchard I used to do a lot of work at.)
Kevh
Member
- Location
- Near Salisbury, Wiltshire
See PM
Kevh
Member
- Location
- Near Salisbury, Wiltshire
I would like to offer a sincere thankyou to all that have contributed to this thread, two farmers in my locality have offered us sites, we hope this will lead to good working relationships of mutual benefit. If anyone else would like honey bees on their farm don't hesitate to post, we have bee farmers all over the country
- Location
- Romsey, Hampshire
Would be interested in hosting bees here. We are near Romsey so not far from you. PM if interested
Kevh
Member
- Location
- Near Salisbury, Wiltshire
I have just written an article that is in the April edition of 'Farmland Magazine' on the subject of What makes a good apiary site, this has renewed interest from farmers interested in having managed colonies of bees on their farms
- Location
- Breconshire
We have a piece of land next to the Brecon Beacons and I always think it would be a grand site for bees when the heather is in flower in late summer/early autumn. Thousands of acres of heather if anyone is interested.
Also many miles of hedge rows here on a mainly grassland farm if of any interest to bee keepers. The late BBC gardener, Richard Bowring used to keep bees with my father years ago but no one has since he stopped.
Also many miles of hedge rows here on a mainly grassland farm if of any interest to bee keepers. The late BBC gardener, Richard Bowring used to keep bees with my father years ago but no one has since he stopped.
Kevh
Member
- Location
- Near Salisbury, Wiltshire
Yep, does it read ok? I may be doing a monthly article if it generates interest